Near
by Rocku
Summary: Ahsoka is not sure how she got on Bane’s ship, but she is sure that the bounty hunter loves playing games. Particularly with her. Really vague and surreal. Kinda dark.


Title: Near

Rating: PG-ish

Summary: Ahsoka is not sure how she got on Bane's ship, but she is sure that the bounty hunter loves playing games. Particularly with her.

Really vague and surreal. Kinda dark. A weird leap from my normal style.

* * *

It wasn't so much that she saw him, but rather felt his presence.

It didn't surprise her.

He had an aura, that one. A thick atmosphere that seemed to orbit his every step. When he was near, it got cold.

So when she felt goosebumps run up the back of her neck, she knew he was near. She had been sitting on the edge of his bed in his tiny sleeping quarters, where she had fist woken up on the ship. The door was open, letting in some light, and past it she could see a short corridor leading to the control room…

and that's where he stood, leaning against the wall, looking at her.

He was holding some kind of drink in his hand, the only noise at the moment being the clink of ice when he swirled it around.

She looked at him, and he looked at her, and even when she couldn't take it and reverted her eyes to the floor, she could still feel him looking.

She felt tears begin to sting her eyes, and she was ashamed over how weak she felt. She had risked her life countless times to protect her master, he friends and family, everything she loved and treasured…

But she had never felt as scared as she did now, trapped and alone with Cad Bane.

It amazed her. How could he revert her to a trembling mess with just a glance? He didn't even need to say anything, or do anything. He just had to be…. near.

Still looking at the floor, she heard him begin to crunch an ice cube in his mouth, and she could feel him still starring. She could picture his teeth working over it, those yellow, pointed daggers chomping away until it was nothing.

That crunching. It might as well have been a gunshot, it was so loud.

She was scared. Yes. But more than anything, she was annoyed. He was being annoying, and he was doing it on purpose to make her uncomfortable.

"What?" She snapped, whipping her head around to look at him, almost regretting the words once they left her mouth. She had no control over this situation, and she was aware. But she also knew she had to keep up a brave front, although she was certain Bane could see through it. She knew he could see her shaking even from a distance.

He tapped his fingers on the wall, still leaning against it, as if he had all the time in the world. He took a sip of his drink; swallowed, still starring.

He was playing with her. She suddenly felt like she was five years old again, confused and naive about the world, not understanding anything. She let her eyes drop from his, felt her bottom lip quiver, and held it in. It made her chest hurt.

She heard his boots clank on the metal floor, a slow and lazy sound. Sneaky. She heard him coming closer. And he was taking his sweet time.

When he reached the bedroom door, he lingered there, one hand on the frame, the other holding his drink.

And again, he stared.

She sniffed, wiped her nose with the back of her hand (a bad habit she thought she kicked as a child), and looked up at him.

"What?" She asked again, almost pleading. She heard the way her voice cracked, and she was fairly certain he heard it too.

He tapped the glass with his fingers, creating a hollow sound that echoed through the room. He shifted positions, now leaning against the doorframe, his other hand adjusting his hat.

"I was wondering if…" here he cleared his throat, "…if you were hungry yet…"

It took Ahsoka a while to completely understand the question. She opened her mouth, and closed it again, confused as to how to answer it.

Was that seriously all he wanted?

She hunched her shoulders in a strange sort of defiance and looked away. "I'm not hungry."

He swirled the ice, the only noise being the clinking inside the glass. it seemed to go on forever when suddenly she heard a throaty chuckle, making her look up.

"Well," he said, bringing the glass to his mouth but not taking a sip. he was grinning, and it wasn't a friendly grin. If bane was capable of such a thing. The glass clinked on his teeth, his grin resting against it.

"You will be."

She spun her head away from him in a lightning fast move, and although she wasn't looking at him, she could almost see his grin widen. Like he was planning on unhooking his jaw and eating her.

Like a snake would.

What did that even mean, anyway? Of course she would get hungry eventually. But the way he said it made the idea sound exceptionally wrong. She came to the conclusion that Bane could say almost anything and make it sound like a sin against the gods. After all, it was about making her as uncomfortable as possible. After all, it was only a game.

It was a game, and he was winning.

The clank of his boots brought her out of her thoughts. She looked over and saw him walking away, saw him raise the glass in some obscure sign, his back still toward her.

"I'll be near."

_I'm sure you will be._ She jumped from the bed, flew across the room in three wide steps, and slammed the door. There was no lock.

_I'm sure you will be._

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End file.
